Wendell scores again in Levadia comeback against Tammeka

Newly crowned Estonian Premium Liiga champions FCI Levadia Tallinn continued their winning run with a 2-1 comeback victory over Tartu Tammeka in Matchday 34. Moussa Sambe gave the visitors an early lead against his parent club, but Mark Oliver Roosnupp’s deflected equaliser and Wendell’s 73rd-minute winner secured another three points for the Tallinn side.

Having already secured the championship, Levadia entered Tuesday’s encounter at Sportland Arena with little pressure, while Tammeka remained in contention for a top-four finish and potential European qualification.

The visitors were without three suspended first-team players, Herman Pedmanson, Giacomo Uggeri and Thomas Lisboa. Goalkeeper Kristofer Sahtel returned to the starting lineup, while Levadia loanee Moussa Sambe was handed a starting role against his parent club.

Levadia were also forced into changes, with Nikoloz Kutateladze suspended and Mihkel Ainsalu initially named among the substitutes after missing recent matches with a minor injury.

Tammeka made the brighter start, winning an early corner before Amijekori fired narrowly over the crossbar following a mistake by Alexandre Lopes Gomes in the Levadia half.

The visitors continued to threaten and took a deserved lead in the 12th minute through Sambe. Sahtel launched a long ball forward from his own penalty area, catching the Levadia defence off guard and sending the forward through on goal. Sambe controlled the delivery before calmly beating goalkeeper Karl Andre Vallner in a one-on-one situation. The forward chose not to celebrate against his parent club, while Sahtel was credited with an unusual assist from his own half.

Levadia gradually began to establish control of possession, although clear-cut opportunities remained limited. Edgar Tur found himself with space inside the penalty area but sent his effort too close to Sahtel, while Enock Otoo later fired over following a cross from Frank Liivak.

Tammeka nearly doubled their advantage midway through the first half when Hydara released Marin during a dangerous counterattack. With several Levadia defenders caught high up the pitch, Marin appeared to have a clear route towards goal, but Vallner rushed off his line to intercept the pass.

The hosts enjoyed more possession as the interval approached, but Tammeka remained the more threatening side. Levadia finished the opening half with 63% possession, although the visitors had registered eight attempts compared to the champions’ three.

Levadia continued to struggle for attacking rhythm after the restart, prompting changes from the bench. Rasmus Peetson and Robert Kirss replaced Lopes Gomes and Geovani shortly before the hour mark.

The substitutions immediately paid off. In the 61st minute, captain Mark Oliver Roosnupp attempted a low shot from the edge of the penalty area. His effort took a heavy deflection off Tammeka defender Pedro Manoel, wrong-footing Sahtel and finding the back of the net to bring Levadia level at 1-1.

With momentum shifting in their favour, Levadia began to apply sustained pressure. Otoo tested Sahtel with a curling effort from outside the penalty area, while Wendell and Maksimilian Skvortsov were both denied during a dangerous attacking sequence.

The introduction of Ainsalu in the 70th minute proved particularly important. Just three minutes after coming onto the pitch, the midfielder delivered a low cross into the six-yard box, where Wendell arrived unmarked to finish from close range and complete the comeback. The Brazilian’s 73rd-minute strike continued his outstanding goalscoring campaign and put Levadia ahead for the first time in the match.

The champions remained dangerous after taking the lead. Ainsalu tested Sahtel with a low effort before producing another excellent pass to Kirss, whose left-footed attempt failed to seriously trouble the goalkeeper.

Tammeka made several substitutions in an attempt to rescue a point, introducing fresh attacking options for the closing stages. However, the visitors struggled to create clear opportunities against a Levadia side that had regained control of proceedings.

The visitors’ best late chance fell to Hydara in stoppage time, but his effort from the edge of the penalty area flew narrowly over the top corner.

Levadia held on to secure a 2-1 victory, completing another comeback after recovering from a losing position to defeat Harju JK Laagri in their previous match. The defeat leaves Tammeka fifth in the standings, four points behind fourth-placed Nõmme Kalju, who have a game in hand. With two matches remaining, Tammeka must beat both Harju and Pärnu Vaprus to have any chance of finishing fourth, while hoping Kalju collect no more than one points from their remaining fixtures against Paide, Kuressaare and Levadia.

FCI Levadia Tallinn vs Tartu JK Tammeka – 2-1 (0-1)
Goals: Roosnupp 61′, Wendell 73′ | Sambe 12′